Africa-Press – Gambia. Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, reaffirmed the Government of The Gambia’s commitment to adopting a new constitution despite the setbacks experienced with the 2020 and 2024 draft constitutions.
In an interview with West Coast Radio, Dr. Ceesay attributed the failure of the 2024 draft constitution to opposition parties, stating that their actions deprived Gambians of the opportunity to have a new constitutional framework.
“Government will sit and rethink and re-strategize. It never ends. We are still committed to a new constitution, and then we will get back to the public as the next move,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay expressed regret that the 2024 draft was rejected at its second reading, noting the inherent challenges in constitution-making within a democratic context.
“So it is unfortunate; constitution building in a democracy is fraught with serious challenges because consensus is needed in a democracy, and getting this consensus across all parties is sometimes difficult. It never ends,” he said.
He further emphasized that encountering challenges during constitutional reform is a normal part of the process. Stated, “It is not unusual for challenges to be encountered in constitution building in a democracy. And the world knows that consensus seeking, sometimes, is very difficult,” he said.
Highlighting the length of such processes, he observed that while some countries finalize constitutions rapidly, others take years.
“Some can move very quickly, so it depends on our constitution; that does not take away the fact that we are still a democracy moving towards consolidation,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay also stressed that constitution-building is a collective responsibility involving all citizens and that the government intends to conduct extensive consultations to chart the way forward.
“And government is aware of this and will engage and will consult to really design the next move, but what is important is that people not despair. It is not the end of the road,” he said.
He cited examples of other countries that have faced even more severe constitutional crises yet eventually succeeded in reaching a consensus. “Other countries have gone through this, they find it very difficult to get consensus on building a new constitution. In fact, those countries were in a more dire situation than us, they were in a constitutional crisis. There was a big gap. We have a constitution which is working,” he noted.
Reiterating the government’s unwavering dedication, Dr. Ceesay concluded, “So we will make it happen, the government is committed, and still committed, as always, to make sure that there is a new constitution, and work towards that.”
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